


Gakaiwa

by Skyblade55



Series: Gakaiwa [1]
Category: Bionicle - All Media Types, Firefly
Genre: Bionicle - Freeform, Gakaiwa, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-27
Updated: 2016-04-02
Packaged: 2018-04-17 11:12:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4664460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyblade55/pseuds/Skyblade55
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Smuggler Vakama captains the ship Gakaiwa, and leads his crew through their journeys. As long as the ship keeps flying through the vast expanse of space.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Here’s how it is. Everyone used to live on a planet called Spherus Magna. It was a lush paradise, full of life and beauty. But once all of the resources on that planet got used up, everyone had to leave. So they found themselves a new solar system home to a whole bunch of small planets. Some were terraformed, some weren’t. The core planets all became flush with new technologies pioneered by great minds. Those on the rim weren’t so lucky. A supergovernment, calling themselves the Order of Mata Nui, sought to control every planet. Some people weren’t too keen about their homes being taken under control; among them, myself. My name’s Vakama. I’m captain of the ship Gakaiwa. Got a good crew. Found myself a pilot, a mechanic, and a trusty second in command. Oh, and there’s the helpful muscle. We’re smugglers. You got cargo for us, we’ll get it done. Doesn’t quite matter what needs to be transported.


	2. A Deal Goes South

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vakama and crew try to make good on a deal, but their client is less than willing to complete their deal.

**Perspective: Vakama**

_Clank clankclank_

See, that sound doesn’t bother me at all. Unless it comes from the engine room.

“Whenua! What’s going on down there?”

“Nothing Captain! Everything’s shiny!”

“Define shiny!”

“We won’t explode!”

Well, ain’t that a relief? You’re in a spaceship breaking atmo about to land on a planet where you’re wanted by the feds, and at least you’re guaranteed that you’re not going to explode. Plummeting to the ground faster than a Kanoka disc, however, is still fair game. So is burning up on this re-entry, which I don’t take kindly to. _Gakaiwa_ may be a beautiful ship, but she ain’t exactly the most secure ship. She’s barely being held together at this point. Which reminds me…

“Matau, how’s our re-entry lookin’?”

“We’re looking good, captain. Except for the slight chance of burning up. Yeah, that would be bad.”

“What about our heat shields?”

“One of them just flew off.”

Great, now I have another part to replace.

The ship shook a little from the turbulence, but I’m so used to it by now that I was unaffected. Well, I mean, I was affected, but not a lot. I hardly stumbled.

As I walked into the cargo hold, which we use as a sort of common room, I was greeted by the ever-pleasant sight of my second-in-command, Nokama.

“Captain, ready to do business with the devil?”

“Ahkmou is hardly the devil, Nokama.”

“If you say so, captain.”

And with that, Matau delivered us some truly uplifting news.

“Alright everyone, we didn’t burn up in the atmosphere. Whenua, I’ll need your help replacing the front heat shield once we land.”

“I thought I was sitting out front welcoming our new passengers!”

“Okay then. Anyone else available?”

“Sorry Matau, you’re on your own,” I responded before Onewa got any ideas. He’s kind of a loose cannon sometimes, but he’s a real help in a firefight. As long as we pay him enough, he’s...well, not happy, but he follows orders just the same. As Onewa came down into the cargo hold, I couldn’t help but notice he was holding a very large gun in his hands.

“Onewa, why do you have that gun out?”

“We’re dealing with Ahkmou. You can’t expect me to go in there empty-handed, now, can you?”

“That’s why concealed weapons exist. We’re doing business, not shooting up the place.”

“Fine…” Onewa grumbled as he tossed his gun to the side. “Just don’t blame me if we all get shot at and can’t fend off our attackers.”

“Don’t blame me if we don’t need to fight then.”

The bay doors opened with a whir, and the sun started pouring in, blindingly at first. As Nokama, Onewa, and I stepped out, Matau got the Mahi started up so he could go get parts. Our Mahi isn’t an actual Mahi, it’s just a vehicle we call a Mahi. We’re weird like that. Anyways, Whenua brought out a little lawn chair and an umbrella to greet our new passengers, whoever they were. He had the easy job. We, on the other hand, had the interesting one.

The port was crowded and noisy. Perfect place to get killed, if the killer was skilled enough, without causing a huge ruckus. Thankfully none of Ahkmou’s goons are that good. He hires thugs, guns to point at people and threaten them, but not assassins. That’s not his style. He’s more of a businessman. A very illegal businessman, but still a businessman. Doesn’t want blood on his hands.

He was standing outside a shack waiting for us. Three goons were standing a little bit behind him, not interfering, but being very visible. No doubt Ahkmou had more goons inside.

“Welcome! ‘Ow wos your flight in? Not too bad, I take it?”

Did I ever mention that his accent was really annoying?

“ Ahkmou. Pleasure to see you again. Shall we get to business?”

“Yeah. Jost step roight in.”

The shack was dimly lit, had a damp air, and 4 thugs standing watch to make sure we didn’t try anything. Two chairs were placed in front of a desk. Given that Ahkmou went and sat right down behind the desk, Nokama and I took the two chairs. Onewa stood behind us, trying his best to look intimidating. Not too hard for him.

“So, Ahkmou, do you have the goods?” I politely inquired.

“Ah...see, ‘ere’s the thing. You got ah reputation. You’re jost not good enahph to 'andle this cargo. You’re too known.”

Sneaky little backstabber. Says he has a job for us, then doesn’t.

“Well, that might be, Ahkmou. But that doesn’t change the fact that we had a deal.”

“You’re not getting my cargo on your ship.”

I am not going to win this battle. He knows it. I know it.

“Okay. Fair enough. While we’re here, we do have some goods to sell.”

“Ah, yes. I’ve ‘eard about your goods. They’re mahked. No good for me.

I cracked a nervous smile, hoping to ease the tension in the room. “Now, come on Ahkmou, no need to be hasty. They’re still good for sale and use.”

“Maybe. But the Order has put out a release for the cargo. If it’s used, then they’ll know and find me. Can’t do it.”

Onewa then burst out into a heated shouting fit.

“Listen here, you punk-ass Kinloka! We got you some goods, agree to take your job, and now you’re just backin’ out? No, you are going to-!”

“Onewa, please calm down before his thugs get a mite jumpy and think it would be good to put a bullet in us.”

“We’ll be on our way then,” Nokama politely remarked as we exited Ahkmou’s shack. The quiet din inside the shack morphed back into the loud roar of the market as we walked outside. As we made our way back to Gakaiwa, we grabbed some food for the rest of the crew. Mostly essentials, a couple of treats. Nothing too special. Vendors tried to haggle all of our money from us, but we're not their average customers. Managed to even get a Thornax for a lower price.

Whenua was sitting outside the ship’s boarding ramp with a bright smile on his face.

“Back already, captain?”

“Yup. We pick up any passengers?”

“We have a couple of new ones.”

“Perfect, Whenua. Pack up your chair, we’re moving out. Is Matau back?”

“I’m right here! Fixed up the ship while you were out. She’s ready to fly, not sure for how long.”

“Great! Now, I’ll go meet the new passengers. Where are they, Whenua?”

“Oh, they’re all in the cargo hold, captain. Probably just stowing their cargo.”

“Perfect. Nokama, help me greet them?”

“With pleasure, captain.”

The whole crew began filing in. I was last, making sure that everyone and everything got loaded up. As Onewa walked by, I grabbed his arm and told him, “Try to be less gruff than normal. Y’know, sociable, the kinda person that people aren’t lying in fear at night thinking about.”

“Now where’s the fun in that, Vakama?”

“We’ll get paid more. Maybe even a good recommendation.”

“I’m plenty sociable when I need to be. And when money’s involved.”

“Perfect. Get inside, and try not to bother people.”

As Onewa headed back in, I took one last look at the planet as the bay doors closed and the boarding ramp folded up. This is going to be an interesting trip, I thought to myself. And then with a resounding clang, the doors were closed, the ship was airtight, and I had to welcome our new passengers.

 

 


	3. I Need to Inspect Cargo on Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New passengers bring about new complications for Vakama and his crew.

**Perspective: Vakama**

     Turning back to look at the passengers, I noticed that it was a small group, no surprise there, who didn’t seem to know each other. There was a fancy-looking fellow, probably a scientist of some kind, a plain-looking guy, and a shorter person wearing a Turaga’s outfit. Don’t much like Turagas, but hey, I’m not gonna turn away peaceable passengers. And I still have to address them.

     “Hi there folks! My name is Vakama, and I’m captain of this ship. Welcome aboard Gakaiwa. This is the cargo hold, you’re free to move about this room as you please. You’ll also be free to move about the mess hall, which is right through those stairs up there, and your bunks, which Whenua will show you to. The bridge and engine room are off limits unless accompanied by either myself or Nokama here. Don’t cause trouble on my ship, don’t cause trouble with my crew, and make sure you don’t break anything. Okay, that about sums up the rules. We’ll be taking off as soon as Whenua finishes showing you to your bunk.”

     Hopefully that didn’t sound as awkward as it felt.

     Whenua was all too chipper to show the passengers to their bunk, giving off a cheery, “Right this way!” as he led them off. I was about to make my way up to the bridge to discuss departing with Matau when Nokama made sure to catch my attention with an important question.

     “Sir, what should I do if the passengers get a little...nosy?”

     “Well, shoot ‘em.”

     “Shoot them, sir?” she questioned with a quizzical look on her face.

     “Politely.”

     I don’t have time to deal with nosy passengers. Either they won’t get nosy, being busy with their own devices and such, or they get nosy and have a high likelihood of being part of the Order, and I do not want to deal with the Order any more than I have to.

     As I walked through the narrow corridor to the bridge, I was hoping that Matau wouldn’t be too upset with me delaying our departure. My hopes were wrong.

     “We’re going to wait to leave, knowing that the Order is looking for us, not knowing where we’re going, probably with some bounty on our heads?”

     Boy, ain’t he something?

     “Yes. Didn’t want to alarm the passengers. Anyways, any ideas about where we can sell our goods?”

     “Well,” he started with a simple hand gesture of suggestion while seated in the pilot’s chair, “we could try selling to Lariska-”

     “No. She’s busy trying to kill us, remember?”

     “Yeah. What about, uuuuh…” he paused, snapped his fingers a few times before striking an epiphany. “What about Dume?”

     “No, he won’t deal with this kind of cargo.”

     “Right, okay. Well, we could sell it to ourselves.”

     “Matau,” I sighed, “we need to make money.”

     “Well captain, I think we would be making money.”

     “More like making up money.”

     Ah, there’s Nokama. I was beginning to wonder when she would arrive.

     “Oh, you’re right baby, we can’t do that. How about we sell to the Order? I’m sure they’d love to pay us, arrest us, and take back their money.”

     Oh Matau. Your sarcasm is not why I have you on board my ship.

     “Just get us in space, and we can figure out where we’re going and who we’re selling our goods to.”

     “Aye aye captain” The dash began to flicker to life at the expert hands of our ace pilot. As I announced that we were taking off, Matau smoothly eased Gakaiwa into the skies and up towards the great black expanse. The ship rocked a little, gave off a slight shudder, and then we were clear, heading off to find our fates.

     “Okay, Nokama, Matau, who are we going to sell these goods to?”

     “Captain, what about Vhisola?” Nokama recommended with some hesitation, although you couldn’t tell by the sound of her voice.

     “Didn’t she try to steal you from your husband?”

     “Yes sir.”

     “Oh, man, when she was stalking you? That was a rough time for us.”

     I shot Matau a glare and reminded him, “Matau, I’m trying to make a point here.”

     “Oh, right, sorry captain, do go on.”

     “As I was about to say, didn’t she try to kill Matau AND me?"

     “Yes sir, I believe so.”

     “So why do you want to sell to her?”

     “Because she’s desperate for supplies and doesn’t care where they’re from. Also, she’d be willing to make a deal with me.”

     How does Nokama have a consistent stoic stature when dealing with all of this? It’s all business with her, not a trace of emotion shown unless you know exactly how to look for it. I saw only determination in her eyes.

      “Hm…”

     “Absolutely not, honey. No. I won’t let you put yourself into that situation. Captain, can’t we find some other corrupt psychopath to do business with?”

     “Baby, I don’t recall needing your permission to do anything. Besides, Vakama will be right there with me to help me out if things get messy.”

     “Alright, then it’s settled.” I saw this was our best option, given the amount of time we had to sell these goods. “Nokama, make the deal. She’ll listen to you more than us. And don’t make any flirty remarks. I need Matau at his usual level of focus to keep us flying. Soon as you’re done, give Matau the coordinates and then both of you join us in the mess. Food is an important part of staying alive, after all.”

     “Yes sir.”

     Leaving what was sure to develop into a tense situation between those two, I decided to try and meet the passengers. Figured they might distrust me less if they met me. Well, they might not, but it’s worth a shot anyhow.

     Walking into the cargo hold to see Mr. Fancypants fiddling with a crate of some kind that he brought on board was kind of weird. Didn’t see much need to fiddle with a crate in the corner of the cargo hold...unless it held something suspicious. I made a mental note to keep an eye on them. Onewa was lifting without a spotter again, and I find myself worrying about him less and less each time I see him doing it. The Turaga was reading off to the side, and the other guy was sorta standing on the walkway overlooking the hold. I decided to talk to him first.

     “Hi there. I never really got your name, and I make it a priority to get to know my passengers whenever they’re with us for some time."

     “Oh! Sorry, I was just thinking. My name’s Ehrye.”

     “Ehrye, nice to meet you.”

     “You’re Vakama, right?” he asked with a relaxed stance. He seemed at ease, perfectly comfortable in the environment of this ship.

     “Yup. Say, where are you looking to go?”

     “Oh, I need to get to the Ko-Metru sector, but speed is of no concern to me.”

     “Oh. Well, that’s good to hear. ‘Scuse me,” I said in passing as I walked away. Something about Ehrye put me off. Couldn’t quite pinpoint it.

     Well, the fancy guy seemed to be done fiddling with his crate. Oh, look at that, he was heading off to his bunk. Perfect opportunity to talk to him.

     “‘Scuse me. Never got your name.”

     “Oh, um...it’s Nuju” he mumbled with enough clarity to discern at least what he was saying. He seemed quiet.

     “So, what brings you aboard my ship, Nuju?”

     “Well, I just needed to get away from everything,” he said as he tried to push through past me. I wasn’t about to let him go just yet.

     “Is that so? Fair enough, I won’t pry any further, though I gotta say, that is a fine suit. What kind of job did you hold that paid you enough to buy it?”

     “I was a, um, doctor.”

     “Hm. A bona fide doctor on my ship. Bless my soul. Well, I’ll leave you to your business then.”

     “Thanks” And with that he slinked off to his bunk. Quite a quiet fellow, definitely hiding something. I’ll keep an eye on him, I thought. Oh, look, the Turaga was still there. Better go talk to him while I can.

     As I approached him, he seemed to be deep in thought, what with his bible and all. Now it’s very frowned upon in society to disturb a studious Turaga while they’re praying or studying their bible. It’s said that those who do are cursed for a day or two by the all-mighty Mata Nui or something like that.

     Then again, I’m not a religious person.

     “Hi there Turaga! How’s your reading?”

     “Well, it was peaceful and serene, while it lasted,” he described as he closed his bible. “How are you, captain?”

     “Well, I’m alright, I suppose. Just trying to meet my new passengers.” I said as I plopped right down next to him as though we were old friends.

     “Well, I suppose that is important. My name’s Lhikan.”

     “Pleasure to meet you, Lhikan.”

     He raised an eyebrow as he resumed thumbing through his bible. “So, can I expect any...complications while I’m on this ship?”

     “None that you don’t cause yourself,” I shot back with a slightly jovial tone. Can’t let him know that he can expect such troubles. Bad for business.

     “So Turaga, where are you off to?”

     He stared straight into my eyes as he replied, “Wherever the Great Spirit guides me.”

     “Hm. Fascinating.”

     Right when it was about to get really awkward, the meal buzzer sounded, accompanied by Matau’s sweet voice saying, “Attention all passengers and crew members, meal time begins in 2 minutes. Please make your way to the mess hall for a succulent meal of rations.”

     “Well, look at that. Better get to the mess before all the food’s gone!” I said with a faint laugh and a hopefully disarming smile.

     “Wouldn’t want to run out of rations, would we?” Lhikan replied with a slight hint of sarcasm.

     And so we made our way up to the mess, everyone else came pouring out of their little holes and greeted each other. Except for Onewa. He kinda grunted at me, so I guess that counts, but otherwise he remained silent.

     Surprisingly, all of the plates were set on the table, the food was ready, water was on the table, and Nokama was bringing a bowl of rolls over to the table. They were warm. It was weird. For me. Nokama doesn’t do this sort of stuff often.

     We all took our seats, myself at the head of the table. I was about to start digging into some meat when Lhikan asked, “Would it bother anyone if I said grace?”

     “Only if you said it out loud,” I retorted.

     And then, just like that, everyone fell silent. Even Onewa. Wait, sorry, let me repeat that for emphasis. EVEN ONEWA fell silent, and he’s even more callous than me. Oh well, good food.

     Once the moment of awkward almost-silence passed, we all partook in a hearty meal of meat, beans, rolls, dried fruit, and water. With merrily awkward eating ensuing I had time to size up the new passengers. Nuju ate with a precision, cut his meat swiftly and cleanly, had rigid posture with his utensils. Probably raised on an inner planet, maybe one of those social elites. That other guy, Ehrye, he was more relaxed, had a slight slouch, but still used proper etiquette. Probably from an inner planet too, but not quite an elite. Lhikan had a dignified presence while eating, probably from that monastery. He wasn’t quite as prim as Nuju, and was a bit rougher around the edges, closer to the manners you might find in the outer planets. Or from Onewa. They’re the same anyways.

     We bid each other a good night after the meal, having all decided that some rest was in order. Matau went up to the bridge and kept us flying, saying that we weren’t too far from our destination and he would be fine to keep us flying. Guy’s got energy to spare, so I thought nothing of it. Everyone else, myself included, headed back to our bunks. Before we actually went into our bunks, I stopped Nokama. I had to talk to her.

     “Nuju’s hiding something.”  

     “Yeah, I figured. He was too quiet at dinner.”

     “He was fiddling with his cargo earlier. Whatever he’s hiding is in there, he cares a lot about it.”

     Nokama crossed her arms and shifted her weight to one side, a stance I recognized as one of preparation. “Probably doesn’t want to be seen caring about it either.”

     “Wanna help me stalk the crate?”

     “Course. Now?”

     “Yup.”

     And so we went back into the cargo hold. Place was pretty quiet and had lots of shadows, so hiding was simple enough. We agreed that Nokama would be the fail-safe, and I would take point. Figured I could keep it quiet enough.

     We waited a while before Nuju showed his face. Probably figured everyone was asleep, and Matau wouldn’t hear anything down in the hold. He was a rookie when it comes to this kind of stuff.

     I waited until he was fiddling for about a minute before asking him, “What’s in the crate, doc?”

     “Um-”

     “I’m gonna ask again, out of concern for my crew and my ship, what’s in the crate?”

     Nuju shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he forced out, “Personal effects.”

     “I don’t think your personal effects need a crate as fancy as that.”

     “Well, mine does.”

     “Oh, so it’s just one item?”

     A flustered look came across his face as he stuttered, “N-no, I didn’t say-”

     “You have a single, large item in that crate son, and I am going to see it.”

     “No, you can’t!” he cried out as he threw his arms in front of me. “I know regulations bar captains from searching passenger’s luggage without cause!”

     “One: keep it down or you’ll wake up Onewa. Two: Never touch me again. Three: I have cause. I am concerned for the safety of my crew. Now open the crate.”

     “No!”

     Oh, great, he had to resist. Now I’m forced to take action. Joy.

     I shoved him out of the way and on to the ground as I made my way to the crate.

     “No, don’t!”

     Too late doc. I threw the crate’s cover open. And what was so important, so personal, so secretive that would drive him to resist so hard?

     A person.

     There was a person in this crate.

     Why was there a person in this crate?

     “Doc, are you transporting people? What is this, your little sex toy or something?”

     “He’s my brother.”

     Well, crap.

     “Why is your brother in a refrigerated crate?”

     “We were-”

     All of a sudden the sound of a gun being primed rang throughout the hold.

     “Freeze! Under the Order of Mata Nui, I am authorized to bring you in!”

     Well, I suspected something was up with Ehrye, but I didn’t expect him to be an agent.

     “Look, Ehrye, there must be a mistake. I’ve done nothing wrong here.”

     “Drop your gun, Vakama.” Ehrye kept his gun trained on me as he walked forward towards us. His gaze was fixated on my face. “I’m not here for you captain,” he said as he shifted his intense stare to look at Nuju.

      “I’m here for him.”


	4. Complications Come Easy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How well does one deal with tragedy?

**Nokama:**

     Waiting in the dark, shadowed area of the cargo hold wasn’t an interesting task to say the least. That is, until Ehrye showed up holding a gun. I wanted to pop out and force him to drop it before he could do anything stupid, but the captain signaled to me that he could handle this. I sure hope he could, but just in case, I’m keeping an eye on the situation.

     “Wait, the doctor? You want the doctor?” asked the captain. My, he sure seemed surprised. I was as well, but I couldn’t show anything.

     “Officer, please, you don’t have to do this,” Nuju pleaded with Ehrye, hoping to draw some mercy from him. It wouldn’t work. I knew it. Vakama knew it. But the poor boy was still innocent yet.

     “Nuju, you are bound by law and charged with multiple crimes against the Order. You can either come in quietly or come in screaming. Failure to comply may result in your death.”

     Ehrye got very intense. He seemed like a completely different man than the laid-back drifter who first boarded the ship. I gripped my gun tighter, hating that the captain held me back. But I trusted him to diffuse the situation, if only enough to get Ehrye to lower his guard and disarm him. It wasn’t not like there was anywhere to go.

     “Oh come on now Ehrye, it’s not there’s anywhere he can go. Now let’s all just calm down and talk things out so-”

     “NO!”

     Seems like Vakama and I were thinking along the same lines. Shame Ehrye’s too jumpy to see reason.

     “Now get down on the ground!” Ehrye demanded as he advanced on the two of them. He kept switching between aiming at Vakama’s head and aiming at Nuju’s head. The way his eyes seemed to bug out of his head implicated that one wrong move would end up with a dead body.

     “Hey guys, what’s all the noise?”

     Damnit Whenua, get out of here, get away, why did you have to be sleeping in the engine room tonight?

      _BANG_

     No. No no no no no no no no.

     “WHENUA!”

     That’s it. To Kar’ with orders, no one shoots Whenua.

     The cargo hold burst into action. As I leapt from my hiding place whipping my shotgun out, Vakama tackled Nuju to the ground and behind a crate. Ehrye was about to fire off another round before I got to him and butted him to the ground, fluidly aiming my gun at the officer now on the ground dealing with a head injury. “Vakama, get Whenua!” I barked at him. Whenua had better not die.

     “Nuju, you’re a doctor right?”

     “Yes ma’am.”

     I nodded my head towards Whenua. “Fix him.”

     I held Ehrye on the ground as I waited for someone else to arrive. Preferably Onewa. This is his territory.

     Right on cue, Onewa came walking into the hold, a look of shock and surprise on his face.

     “Nokama, what’s goin’ on here?” Onewa asked as he stumbled into the hold.

     “Grab this idiot and tie him up!” I ordered, still holding a gun to his head and keeping my boot on his back.

     I could hear Whenua moaning and crying out in pain. His breathing became more labored, more ragged, shallower.

     “He’s going into shock!” Nuju cried out. I wanted to go check on him, make sure he was okay, but I had to make sure this slime stayed put.

     Onewa finally reached me and moved my leg. He might not be bright, or cultured, but he was definitely strong, and hoisted Ehrye onto his shoulders with little effort.

     “He’ll be in my bunk,” he grunted as he walked off.

     As I rushed over to Whenua, surely concern was written on my face. I reached them as Nuju was fumbling with some torn cloth and a rod trying to do something, anything to help him.

     “Do you have a med bay?”

     “It’s right next to the mess hall. Come on, I’ll take you there,” I said as I tried to pick up Whenua’s body without hurting him too much. It wasn’t easy, but I managed to do it somehow.

     “Hey, where’s Ehrye?” Vakama asked with concern on his face. But not just concern...anger was in there. He wanted revenge for this. I did too, but I knew that doing anything now wouldn’t do us any good.

     “Tied up in Onewa’s bunk.” I replied while on my way to the med bay. “Go make sure he doesn’t kill him.”

     “Why should he stay alive, Nokama? He shot Whenua!”

     “And if he dies, we won’t know what the Order knows. They could have our location. They could be on their way. I want him to hurt too, but I’m not letting my emotions blind me, captain. Now go make sure that Onewa doesn’t kill Ehrye before he does.”

     “Since when did you start giving the orders?”

     “Since you started running on emotions and instinct and stopped using thought too.”

     And with that, he ran off to Onewa’s bunk, no stranger to Onewa’s rage. I hurried up the steps and into the mess hall, where the Turaga and Matau were sitting worried. I’m not sure which one was doing the comforting, or if either of them were. The Turaga’s face was calm, but his body moved a little excitedly, betraying his control over his emotions. He was worried, and became more so when he saw I was holding Whenua.

     Matau, of course, didn’t quite understand the concept of restraint.

     “What happened? Who shot Whenua? Where’s Vakama? Are you okay?”

     “Matau. I need you to calm down honey. I’m fine, Whenua needs medical attention, Vakama and Onewa are dealing with Ehrye. I’ll fill you in later.” I needed to get Whenua to the med bay now. “Just keep the ship flying.”

     “You got it.”

     “Mind if I accompany you?” Turaga asked, a slight nervous hint mixed with his usually calm voice.

     “You can accompany me when he’s stabilized.” I needed to keep the number of people fretting near Whenua to me and Nuju.

     “I need to grab my med kit from my bunk.”

     “Alright, I’ll get started in the med bay”

     “No! Don’t do anything until I get there.”

     I appreciate your concern doctor, but I do not have time for your need to control.

     “Nuju, I was a field medic. Battle wounds are a specialty of mine.”

     He shut right up and ran off to his bunk as I strode towards the med bay. The stark white room had an operating chair in the center, with cabinets of medicine, drugs, and medical tools lining the walls. A few bright lights made sure the room was well lit for procedures, with some additional lights for specific operations. In this case, pulling a bullet out of Whenua’s stomach.

     I set down the poor boy’s limp body on the chair and quickly cleaned out the wound. Nuju did a good job wiping away some of the excess blood, but obviously he didn’t have the tools to properly clean the wound.

     Once the wound was cleaned, I got out the necessary equipment to remove the bullet. My movements were swift, precise, practiced from years of fighting in the war. But this time...this time it was personal, more so than before. Whenua didn’t deserve to get mixed up in this, he’s too sweet. And Mata Nui have mercy on anyone who would harm him.

     Nuju burst into the room before I had a chance to begin removing the bullet, and moved me out of the way so he could begin his work. His stature had more emotion in it than just a doctor looking after a patient, like his normal operating protocol and behavior became infused with something else. Whether it was guilt, concern, love, or something else was undetectable, and I was a little preoccupied with saving Whenua’s life to really dwell on this.

     Nuju finished up pretty quickly and told me that he was stabilized. Well, now that I know he’s going to pull through, I have a few questions for the young doctor.

     “Okay, um, I’m done here, he should be fine. I’ll just head back to my bunk now.”

     “Stop.” I ordered with a satisfying result of him freezing in place. “My friend just got shot because of something you’ve done. You’re not leaving this room until you answer my questions.”

     His face became ridden with fear. “Look, I don’t want any trouble-”

     “Regardless of your wants, trouble came, and it came with you. Let’s start off with something simple.” I was tempted to pull out my gun, but figured that an intimidating stare mixed with folded arms would make him talk just the same. “Why is the Order after you?”

     “It’s...it’s because I stole my brother from them.”

     “Why did the Order have your brother?”

     “They had him in some kind of program. Something that was probably top secret, something that was wrong, I don’t really know.”

     “Fine. Why your brother?”

     “Because he was gifted. I was considered a prodigy as a child. Let that be a basis for what I am about to say. Growing up, my younger brother made me feel like I was dumber than a Kane-Ra.”

     Well then, this brother of his must be something special.

     “Okay then. Your brother’s gifted, you stole him from the Order, and now you’re on the run. You’re also an incredible doctor. Is there anything else I’m missing?”

     “I need to go check on my brother now. The crate shouldn’t have been opened yet. I don’t know how that might affect things.”

     I did not want to let him get near that crate. But then again, nothing about this boy has made me think that he’s gonna betray us, or that he’s hiding anything of high importance to us. Besides, if that’s his brother in that crate…

     “Fine. Go check on your brother.”

     We left the med bay and walked into the mess hall, as the Turaga rose from his seat and made his way to us. “How is he?”

     “He’s fine Turaga. He’ll make it. I need you to keep an eye on Nuju for me, just while he checks on his brother.”

     “His brother? He has a brother? How did he get on this ship?”

     “Just do it for me, please. I need you to do this.”

     He gave a solemn nod and followed Nuju into the cargo hold. I waited until the door hissed shut, and then made my way up to the cockpit. As I opened the door, Matau whipped his head around and looked at me with worried eyes brimming with questions. And it was up to me to satiate his curiosity.

     I took his hand as I sat down across from him, and began recounting everything that had transpired involving that crate. When I finished, I looked straight at his face, looking for what kind of reaction he would give.

     He...didn’t take it well.

 

 


	5. Is Everyone Insane, or is it just them?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matau tries to deal with getting Gakaiwa and her crew down to the planet to make a deal.

** Matau:  **

          When Nokama told me what happened to Whenua, I lost it. I shouted at her. And I hate shouting at my wife.

          “What?!? Why would they do this?!? How could they?!? Where is he? I need to hit him!”

          “Matau, you’re not a fighter. Vakama and Onewa are handling Ehrye. Whenua’s stabilized, there’s nothing more we can do for him right now. Besides, we need our ace pilot to fly the ship.”

          “Oh, yeah, you’re right. No one else can fly the ship. I need to work on that someday.”

          “I’m sure you do, but now is not the time.”

          She’s right there.

          “I’ll calibrate the scanners to keep an eye open for any Order ships. I’ll let you know what comes up,” I said as I spun back to the dashboard.

          “Alright, thank you dear,” she told me as she kissed me on the cheek.

          As she left the bridge to go keep an eye on Whenua, absolutely nothing happened. No, seriously, nothing happened. It was really boring. So, naturally, as I always do when I’m bored, I reach over and get my two Nui-Jaga models and did silly voices.

          _Bing_

          “Ah, this is a marvelous land we have found. Wouldn’t you agree, brother? **‘Yes, this is a great land, and we shall call it...this land.** ’ Really, is that the best you can come up with?”

          _Bing_

          “‘ **Well, I don’t see YOU coming up with any names!** ’ Okay, fine, how about we call this land YOUR GRAVE! ‘ **Ahhh, curse your sudden and unsurprising betrayal** ’”

          _Bing_

          “‘ **Oh, oh no, oh the humanity!** ’”

           _Brang_

          Wait, what was that?

          “Tell me that wasn’t the Order, tell me that wasn’t the Order.” I muttered to myself as I spun my chair over to look at scanners. Good news: it wasn’t the Order.

          Bad news: it was worse.

          I reached for the nearest comm device and spoke as clearly as I could while panicked. “Um, captain, you’re needed on the bridge.”

          “Little busy right now Matau. Can it wait?”

          “No, it really can’t.”

          I heard a sigh come through.

          “Alright, fine, I’ll be right up. But this had better be good!”

          I continued to fret over the scanner, which kept emitting that annoying _brang_ sound. Seriously, couldn’t we have picked a less annoying sound? Like maybe a gong, or the screeches of matoran being tortured? I don’t know, maybe we should have gone with a more blaring alarm button. The alarms on the ship are mostly automated, and I don’t even get a button to press. I love pressing buttons.

          “What is so gorram important, Matau?”

          “Captain, we’ve got another ship out there.”

          “Order ship?”

          “No sir, it’s worse.”

          Vakama’s face shifted into a look of horror mixed with curiosity as he inquired, “What do you mean _worse_? What could be...no. No, it’s not-”

          “Afraid so, captain. Do you want to tell them, or should I?”

          Vakama swiftly reached for the comm to address the crew. They wouldn’t know it, but he was afraid. Soon, the rest of them would be too.

          “Attention crew, this is your captain speaking. Uhh, we’ve come across some unexpected trouble out here in space. We’ll try and keep you all safe, but be aware, we’re mighty close to a Vahki ship.”

           Well, that was a solid address to the crew. Now we can only hope that the crew doesn’t erupt into chaos and try to take over the ship. Well, as long as they don’t try to kill me everything will be fine. No one else can really fly this ship. That’s why I have job security. As long as I’m alive, no one else can actually do my job. Key word there being alive, since this is a dangerous job and the odds of me dying are pretty high every now and then. Where was I? Oh yeah, in space, trying not to get killed by the Vahki.

          “Captain, shut down everything on this ship now.”

          “What?”

          “I’ve got us on a trajectory with the planet. Now we just need to shut down everything so the Vahki don’t detect this ship and kill us all!”

          “You’re right,” he conceded as he got to work shutting down all the circuitry. I was steering us into a straight shot with the planet so we could theoretically slingshot around if we couldn’t start the engines in time to run a landing sequence.

          With the ship dead silent, the fear was palpable. Not a lot of light in the dark cockpit surrounded by dark space. However, we still noticed when a huge shadow floated across our viewscreen. As the massive ship floated past us, the captain and I found ourselves holding our breath in fear. After what felt like an eternity, the Vahki ship was gone and past us. The relief we felt was tangible, and oh so sweet. Good thing those idiots don’t check twice.

          We rapidly reactivated all of the ship’s systems, restoring it back to full operation.

          “Well, if that’s all, I’ll get back to interrogating a murderous officer who got aboard my ship.”

          “All good captain, just be ready for when we land. Not sure how long you intend to stay on this planet, and I’d rather be out of here quick, so just make sure everyone’s ready.”

          And with that, we began our descent onto the planet. Every time we begin our landing sequence for any planet, I like to play a little game called, “What’s the worst way this can go wrong?” The rules are simple: you think of the worst way the landing sequence can go wrong, and then think of how you’ll react. Right now, I was torn between the officer breaking free and killing all of us and the Vahki returning to find us and then...doing what they do. In either case, I seal off the cockpit, fear for my life, and await my inevitable death. See, such a nice little game, perfect for all ages! Thankfully our descent onto the planet was uneventful. Smooth sailing, as they say. Nothing broke, no one died, and no crazed officers escaped and held me at gunpoint. I knew that something was being done to him, and knowing Onewa, it probably involved a very large knife. And blood. Or the threat of blood. Eh, don’t really care either way.

          As we touched down, I reached over for the comm, so I could address the crew. Pilot’s formality. “Attention all passengers, we have safely landed on the planet Namdex. Please don’t go angering the locals, threatening our safety, or cheating me out of my cut. If you do, so help me, I will leave you stranded here. Maybe. Okay, I probably won’t, but I might. Aaaaaaaaand I’ll stop talking now."

          I went down to the cargo hold to check on the crew. Nokama, Vakama, and Onewa were all loading up guns and putting on their armor. Obviously, this concerned me. “What’s going on guys? I thought this was just an exchange, a business deal.”

          “Honey, remember how Vhisola tried to kill you and Vakama the last time we saw her? This is just to make sure that doesn’t happen this time.”

          “Yeah…” I had no comeback to that. She thought this out.

          “Onewa, you make sure you watch our backs. I don’t want to die on account of some sneaky assassin getting the jump on me,” Vakama hollered across the hold.

          “Yes sir.”

          With that, Nokama lowered the ramp. I watched them walk out into the wilderness, the harsh, rocky terrain held sparse amounts of life. Little weeds poking up everywhere. Someday, I want to retire from this life of crime, maybe get a nice quiet home with my lovely wife and whatever company she’s keeping because Mata Nui knows I don’t have any friends. Maybe a nice garden...yeah, that’d be nice. But looking out at those three soldiers walking out with their weapons and armor, I find myself thinking just one thought.

          Please Mata Nui, don’t let them die.


End file.
